Showing posts with label King Abdullah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label King Abdullah. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Thursday, February 05, 2015
Saudi King's Ex-Wife Speaks Out
Friday, January 30, 2015
King Abdullah Embodied the Wickedness of Saudi Arabia’s Regime
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| Members of the Saudi police force in Mecca. 'Saudi Arabia's influence is almost wholly malign.' |
We can always look on the bright side of the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the accession of Prince Salman. It shows that, if reports of his ill-health are true, dementia can’t stop you reaching the very top – at least if you have the right parents. It is a danger for many political systems that they end up being run by men whose faculties are no longer up to it: think of Pope John Paul II in his long decline, Churchill after his strokes, Ronald Reagan or the Soviet gerontocracy. But Saudi is unique in the modern world in choosing as leader a man believed to be in decline even before he comes to power.
It is a final touch of absurdity in a kingdom that is wicked in itself, and a source of wickedness and corruption elsewhere in the world. Saudi Arabia practices torture and arbitrary judicial murder. Women are beheaded in the street, liberal thought is punishable by flogging, which can be a death sentence even more horrific, because it is more prolonged than having your head hacked off with a sword. It is a raft of fear and hatred lashed together, floating on unimaginable amounts of money, at least for the lucky few. Among the poor, not all of whom are slaves or foreigners, there is tufshan, a special word defined by an anthropologist as “subtle and incapacitating torpor”. » | Andrew Brown | Friday, January 23, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Old Foes Come Together to Pay Tribute to King Abdullah
Old enmities and doubts about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record were cast aside as world leaders paid their respects to its new king, Salman bin Abdulaziz.
David Cameron, whose government only a week ago condemned Saudi Arabia’s public flogging of a liberal writer, Raif Badawi, flew to Riyadh with the Prince of Wales, whose long friendship with the Gulf monarchy is well-established.
Mr Cameron had paid tribute to King Abdullah, King Salman’s older half-brother, who died at the age of 90 in the early hours of Friday morning after ten years on the throne.
But human rights activists and even members of his own party objected. “I have been ashamed to be a Conservative today,” the former Tory MP Louise Mensch said. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor | Sunday, January 25, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
‘Worst-case Scenario’: Yemen Chaos, Saudi King’s Death Pose New Challenges for US
The Obama administration is still assessing the political earthquakes in the Arabian Peninsula, and for the near-term says the top priority in Yemen is the security of U.S. personnel. The State Department said it has reduced the number of personnel at the U.S. Embassy in the capital city of Sanaa.
But when the sands settle, a new government – or no government at all – in Yemen could complicate one of the administration’s most active counterterror drone programs in the world. And the new leadership in Saudi Arabia raises questions about the country’s future involvement in fighting the Islamic State and other pressing issues.
Further, a former U.S. diplomat close to the Saudi royal family told Fox News the two developments, which occurred within hours of each other, represent a “worst-case scenario” for the U.S. in terms of Iran’s ability to extend its influence. » | FoxNews.com | Friday, January 23, 2015
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Obituary
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who has died aged 90, promised much but accomplished little. By the time he came to the throne in 2005, he was 81 years old. And though he had gained considerable experience as acting monarch after his brother King Fahd’s stroke, he was beset by numerous difficulties – dynastic, democratic, religious, ideological, regional and global – and, with only rising oil revenues in his favour, found himself unable to address them to any significant extent.
Abdullah’s succession as Saudi Arabia’s sixth monarch resulted from his father King Abdulaziz ibn Saud’s strategy of marrying the daughters and widows of defeated enemies. It was hoped that Abdullah’s birth in Riyadh would end the enmity between the ousted northern Hail emirate and the newly emerging Saudi kingdom. Abdullah’s mother, Fahda bint Asi al-Shuraim, was the widow of Saud ibn Rashid, who ruled over the emirate before its collapse at the hands of Saudi forces in 1921. Abdullah continued the tradition of his father and included, among his 30 or so wives, daughters of the Shaalan of Aniza, al-Fayz of Bani Sakhr, and al-Jarba of the Shammar tribe.
On the basis of his mother’s background, a plethora of images were cultivated around Abdullah. Images of the monarch as the repository of the tribal bedouin heritage flourished as Saudi Arabia drifted into globalisation and a consumer culture. After a traditional upbringing in the royal court and with no formal modern instruction, the king capitalised on this heritage. His maternal connections and limited education, together with a speech impediment, delayed Abdullah’s rise to pre-eminence among the many sons of the founder of the kingdom. » | Madawi al-Rasheed | Thursday, January 22, 2015
Prince Charles to Fly to Riyadh Following Death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
The Prince of Wales will fly to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to pay his respects to the late King Abdullah, Clarence House has confirmed.
The Prince has been a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia over the years and counted the king as a personal friend.
It is understood he would not have been able to attend the funeral ceremony itself, as only Muslim men will be allowed. Instead he is expected to pay a visit to the new king, the current Prince Salman, a 79-year-old half brother of Abdullah.
Clarence House said in a statement: "The Prince of Wales, representing Her Majesty The Queen, will travel to Saudi Arabia to pay his condolences following the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HM King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud." » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, January 23, 2015
Government Criticised for Lowering Flags along Whitehall in Honour of King Abdullah
A government decision to fly flags at half-mast along Whitehall to honour the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has been criticised.
The Saudi regime has faced fierce criticism in recent weeks for carrying out the public beheading of a woman and condemning a blogger to 1,000 lashes.
Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace also lowered their flags, as a mark of respect.
Louise Mensch, the former Conservative MP, took to social media to say political leaders were “gutless cowards”.
“It is so unacceptable to offer deep condolences for a man who flogged women, didn't let them drive, saw guardian laws passed, & STARVES THEM,” she wrote on Twitter.
Women are still banned from driving in the oil-rich kingdom.
"UK flag half mast, mourning King Abdullah. So sad for all the sorcerers & apostates he could still have beheaded," wrote Maarten Boudry, another Twitter user. » | Holly Watt, Whitehall Editor | Friday, January 23, 2015
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Dies: World Reaction
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Dies at 90
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died aged 90 after a short illness, state television announced late on Thursday. He has been succeeded by Crown Prince Salman, his half-brother.
The news came after the king was admitted to hospital on 31 December suffering from pneumonia. His condition was said to have improved a few days later.
Rumours of the king’s death circulated on social media before Saudi TV began broadcasting Qur’anic verses – often a harbinger of bad news – and the announcement was made. He is to be buried on Friday afternoon.
Beyond confirmation that Salman has ascended the throne lie troubling questions about the succession, the stability of an unreformed absolute monarchy and the prospects for its younger generation of royals at a time of turmoil in the region – including the destabilising crisis in Yemen. » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Thursday, January 22, 2015
THE GUARDIAN: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia: Monarch whose reign saw the spread of division, corruption and strife, and was saved only by ‘black gold’ » | Madawi al-Rasheed | Thursday, January 22, 2015
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies aged 90: King Abdullah, who has ruled Saudi Arabia since August 2005, has died after battle with pneumonia » | Rochard [?] Spencer, Middle East editor and Harriet Alexander | Thursday, January 22, 2015
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud – obituary: King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia ruled his nation during a period of unprecedented upheaval in the Arab world » | Thursday, January 22, 2015
BBC AMERICA: Obituary: King Abdullah: The absolute ruler of one of the most conservative societies on Earth, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia had to tread a narrow line between maintaining relationships with the West and appeasing opinion at home. » | Thursday, January 22, 2015
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Saudi’s King Abdullah Says US, Europe Could Be Next Terror Targets
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has called for strong global measures to combat terrorism, warning that such threats could soon “target the west”.
“If neglected I’m sure they [terrorists] will reach Europe in a month and America in another month,” said King Abdullah during a presentation of credentials ceremony held in Jeddah on Saturday for new ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, including U.S. Ambassador Joseph W. Westphal.
The monarch also urged all ambassadors to convey the importance of fighting the threat of terrorism to their governments.
“The evils of terrorism must be fought with force, reason and speed,” he said. » | Mary Sophia | Sunday, August 31, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Saudi King's Ex-wife Speaks Out
Friday, May 30, 2014
Royal Nightmare: Saudi Princesses Locked Up by Father Suffer from Hunger & Isolation
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Gasoline Ally: Saudi Oil Keeps US Loyal
Friday, March 28, 2014
'We Are Cut Off, Isolated and Alone': Imprisoned Saudi Princesses Blame Their Father King Abdullah As Their Mother Calls On Obama To Help Free Them
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| Speaking out: Sahar is the eldest daughter and has somehow remained able to convey to the world the depraved state of human rights, especially against women, in Saudi Arabia |
Two Saudi Princesses who claim to have been imprisoned by their father for 13 years have told how they are 'cut off, isolated and alone' after their mother called on President Obama to help set them free.
Princesses Sahar, 42, and Jawaher, 38, whose mother is divorced from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, say they are effectively being held under house arrest in the royal compound in Jeddah.
They claim they are not allowed to travel or even leave their home and that the internet is their only window onto the world.
In an exclusive interview with Channel 4 News, the princesses told how security has been tightened since they went public with their story two weeks ago and they are no longer even allowed to make trips with armed guards for food, as they had been previously.
Speaking to Channel 4 via Skype, they blamed the King for their situation and even claimed to be running out of food.
Princess Sahar says: 'This is a risk we're taking, we're happy to do it, we understand full well the repercussions, but we don't know what's going to happen.'
The Princesses say their sisters Maha and Hala are also being held in the Royal compound in separate villas. » | Joshua Gardner and Daniel Miller | Friday, March 28, 2014
CHANNEL 4 NEWS: Exclusive: 'locked-up' Saudi princesses' message for Obama: "He should be ashamed to meet a leader that has four grown women locked up" - the message from two Saudi princesses to President Obama as he meets with their father, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. » | Fatima Manji, Reporter | Friday, March 28, 2014
CHANNEL 4 NEWS: 'They are hanging to life' - Saudi king's ex-wife speaks out » | Fatima Manji, Reporter | Monday, March 10, 2014
CHANNEL 4 NEWS: New footage emerges of 'trapped' Saudi princesses » | Fatima Manji, Reporter | Monday, March 24, 2014
Is America's Relationship with Saudi Arabia Broken beyond Repair?
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| Barack Obama in Rome before flying to Riyadh: US relations with Saudi Arabia soured when revolution broke out in Syria. |
Barack Obama arrives in Riyadh seeking rapprochement with an aggrieved Arab ally whose interests are increasingly at odds with its key western backer.
The president's flying visit – no more than an evening in the Saudi king's palace – is his first since the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, which drove an initial wedge between both capitals.
Ever since, relations have tangibly soured, with US outreach to Iran and ambivalence on Syria particularly irking Saudi leaders, who believe their arch-foe, Tehran, has been empowered at their expense.
So bothered has Riyadh become by what it sees as naive appeasement of Iran that it now seems ready to project itself regionally without US cover.
"The US has underwritten the regional security order for the past 70 years and it sees now as a good time to disengage," one senior figure told the Guardian recently. "We will have to do it all ourselves." » | Martin Chulov | Friday, March 28, 2014
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Kerry Hails Saudi Leadership as He Bids to Repair Relations
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| U.S. Secretary of State meets with King Abdullah in Riyadh |
John Kerry played down rifts with Saudi Arabia, saying relations between the two countries were "strategic and enduring" and that both agreed negotiations were the only way to stop Syria's civil war.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, in Riyadh after talks with King Abdullah, Mr Kerry said: "This is a deep relationship and it has endured for 75 years and it will endure well into the future."
He also reiterated Washington would not let Iran develop an atomic bomb. "The United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. That policy has not changed."
The Saudis have complained that the United States did not follow through on its threat to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad with military strikes for his government's use of chemical weapons.
Last month, the Saudis won but turned down an elected seat on the UN Security Council, saying the body had proved itself largely meaningless because of its inability over two years to address the crisis in Syria. The Saudis also have watched with increasing nervousness as President Barack Obama has approved a cautious opening with their archrival Iran. Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius, and Agencies | Monday, November 04, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
A Widening Gulf
Throughout Saudi Arabia’s long alliance with the West, one principle above all has governed its diplomacy: to keep any disagreements firmly behind closed doors. So the very public quarrel this week between Riyadh and Washington, which has seen the Saudis reject a rotating place on the United Nations Security Council, scale back cooperation with the CIA over Syria, and pledge to seek alternative weapons suppliers to the United States, is both unprecedented and extraordinarily important.
For many, the fact that Barack Obama’s administration has upset the House of Saud – despite protestations of enduring friendship from John Kerry, the Secretary of State – will be entirely welcome. The Saudis’ wealth and strategic importance have long bought them immunity from the criticism that their record of fomenting Islamist extremism and denying women’s rights might otherwise have incurred. With the shale revolution ensuring that America is no longer dependent on the Middle East for its oil, and a more pacific president (in every sense) in the White House, it is surely only natural that some distance appears. This was always, after all, an alliance based on self-interest rather than any real kinship. Read on and comment » | Telegraph View | Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Saudi Arabia Needs the Protection of the US
The alliance between the world’s most powerful democracy and a feudal theocracy seems implausible but the US-Saudi alliance has been one of the last remaining post Second World War constants in the Middle East. The US provided Saudi security cover; while Saudi Arabia ensured the free flow of oil boosting production at times of crises.
There have been rifts – the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the refusal of the US to sell arms to Saudi in the 1980s due to Israeli objections and the fall out over the role of Saudi hijackers in the 9/11 bombings. US support for Israel always irked the Saudis, whilst Saudi human rights abuses and treatment of women was always an embarrassment for Washington. Despite all this, the relationship never reached the nadir that it has now. Has it reached its sell by date?
For a state that prefers private diplomacy, Saudi public outbursts attract attention. Saudi’s refusal to take up a seat at the UN Security Council and open rebuke of the Obama administration are meant to be noticed. The Saudi leadership expects to be listened to, to be party to major decisions, but it has felt excluded.
Saudi officials say that the Americans are ignoring all their allies and cosying up to their enemies, notably Iran. On every issue that matters to Riyadh, the US has, in their eyes, let them down. (They conveniently forget Washington’s silence over the Saudi intervention in Bahrain). » | Chris Doyle * | Wednesday, October 23, 2013
* Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding
Saudi Arabia in Diplomatic Shift Away from Old Ally US
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| Barack Obama and King Abdullah |
The public rupture saw the head of Saudi intelligence declare that the kingdom was “scaling back” co-operation with the CIA over arming and training Syrian rebels and seeking alternate weapons suppliers to the United States.
The unprecedented rebuke by Prince Bandar Bin Sultan al-Saud came after Saudi Arabia stunned diplomats by rejecting a prized seat on the UN Security Council.
The decision to reject the seat, Prince Bandar reportedly told diplomats, was intended as “a message for the US” about Saudi frustration with the Obama administration’s long-running failure to arm rebels in Syria and the rising prospect of a nuclear deal that would favour Riyadh’s arch-foe, Iran.
John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, yesterday confirmed that he had been forced to defend US policy at lengthy meetings with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, in Paris. » | Peter Foster, in Washington, Ruth Sherlock in Beirut and Alex Spillius | Tuesday, October 22, 2013
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